Jeff Gordon Wins Pole for Michigan

Chris Graythen/Getty Images(BROOKLYN, Mich.) — Jeff Gordon set the track record and won the pole for Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.

Gordon has two wins this season and had a speed of 206.558 mph for the record.

“I don’t know where to start,” Gordon said. “You can point at the repaving of the racetrack. This track is smooth — has a tremendous amount of surface area where the tire can get a lot of grip to it. The next thing is the cars.”

Joey Logano finished with the second fastest time and was followed by Carl Edwards.

“It has nothing to do with the racetrack picking up speed,” said Logano, who qualified second behind Gordon. “It has (to do with) what we’ve been doing to the race cars to go faster. … I believe it’s cooler out, too. So I think between those two things, that’s why we went faster again, but the racetrack itself isn’t picking up speed. The racetrack, if anything, is maintaining to getting slower. But it’s widening out, so it’s becoming a better race.”

Edwards, who has two wins this season, said that doesn’t mind the new paved track.

“It’s fast — that’s the simplest way to describe it,” Edwards said. “I wish you guys could ride in that car with me there. That is screaming.”